


A Long Term Arrangement

by eerian_sadow



Series: A Long Term Arrangement [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Adult Themes, D/s, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, still on Cybertron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-01-15
Packaged: 2018-01-08 19:39:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1136582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prowl is the hottest thing since solar fusion and Sunstreaker is utterly enchanted by this fact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Long Term Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to wicked3659 for encouraging this fic and for checking my spelling. any remaining errors are mine and may be pointed out with no insult on my part. (seriously, tell me. I may not notice them for months.)

Sunstreaker watched as the Autobots' second in command walked down the line, giving the the new recruits a critical examination. His confident demeanor and commanding presence warmed the yellow mech's circuits and made him want to drop to his knees in front of the older mech without even knowing anything about him.

Sideswipe nudged him as the black and white mech came closer. "Turn your fans off!" The red mech hissed. "He'll have you thrown out faster than you could blink."

Sunstreaker nodded and did his best to follow his brother's instructions. Sides was right; the Autobots would never take him in if he started out by coming on to the second in command during recruit inspection. 

"Is there a problem, recruits?" The Autobot second asked, moving down the line and coming to a stop in front of the twins.

"No, Commander," Sideswipe said quickly. "I was just advising Recruit Sunstreaker to correct his placement in line so we don't look sloppy."

"I see." Commander Prowl turned his gaze to the yellow twin. "Is this true, Recruit?"

"Yes, Commander." Sunstreaker managed to get his cooling fans shut off with an embarrassed squeak. "I wasn't paying attention and Recruit Sideswipe was looking out for me."

The black and white mech gave him an appraising look, but did not call either of them out on their hastily constructed story. "Very well. I trust you will be more attentive once you join the ranks and I will not be forced to take formal disciplinary action?"

The artist's cooling fans tried to start back up at the idea of Prowl disciplining him, but he over rode them ruthlessly. The commander did _not_ mean that kind of discipline. "Yes, sir. I will, Commander."

"Then I believe we can let this infraction pass." The commander turned to the older red mech who had been in charge of recruit induction. "Ironhide, you and your unit may board the transport."

"Yes, sir," Ironhide replied. "Autobot recruits, stow your gear and be in your assigned seats in five joors. Roll out!"

The line of recruits began moving toward the transport that would take them to the training center in Iacon. As they walked away, Sunstreaker gave one last look over his shoulder at Commander Prowl. 

His processor stalled when he saw the commander gazing back at him thoughtfully.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

All through his training, Sunstreaker thought about the confident mech who had inspected his recruitment group. Sometimes he fantasized about the commander and sometimes he wondered what it would be like to just sit and be companionable. When Prowl visited the training center to inspect the cadets, the yellow mech watched him as closely as he could without the commander finding out.

"You should really just give it up," Sideswipe told him one night when they should have been recharging. "He's never going to give you anything but orders."

"Shut up, Sides," the yellow mech said, reaching over and pulling his twins thermal wrap out from its position as a pillow. He smiled with satisfaction as Sideswipe's head hit the berth with a thud. "Let me have my fantasy."

"I'm just saying, there's a dozen mechs here who'd interface with you. You should forget about Prowl and move on to someone who actually wants you back."

"If I wanted any of them, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Sunstreaker rolled over and tucked Sideswipe's wrap under his head. He'd give it back before morning inspection, but his brother wouldn't get it back tonight without a fight. "Now shut up and recharge. I'm done talking about this."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"I can't fault his performance," Ironhide said, tossing a data pad onto Prowl's desk. "He's top of the class in every combat form we've taught him. He's got decent marks in tactics. He passed his psych evaluations well within the required parameters. He can even step up and take command of a unit unexpectedly."

Prowl glanced down at the file displayed on the data pad and was unsurprised to see Sunstreaker's name on it. Ironhide had expressed concerns about the former artist more than once in the past. "If he is so capable, why are you here?"

"Because he's not focused, Prowl." The older mech dropped into the chair across the Praxian with a clatter. "He's not focused and I can't get him to focus. If I send him out like this, he'll just be target practice for the Cons."

"Perhaps his lack of focus is due to an undocumented upgrade or ability modification. It would not be the first time we've seen such a thing."

"You're right, it wouldn't be. But I don't think that's what it is. He was focused and determined when he signed up and all the way through medical. No lag in his processing times, no distraction from conversations or tests, no inattentiveness when he was spoken to, nothing. When we started training, it was like he was a completely different mechanism."

"The stress of moving to the training camp, possibly." The Autobot second picked up the data pad and began scrolling through Sunstreaker's file. "He has a twin. Is Sideswipe adjusting well?"

"Makes friends at the drop of a shell casing, pays attention in class. He's as well adjusted as the rest of them."

"I think it may be a matter of a lack of desire to be where he is, then." The black and white mech hummed thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking, Prowl?" Ironhide asked, sitting up.

"Draw up new orders for Sunstreaker. We'll attach him to the tactical unit until we can determine the source of his distraction."

The red mech blinked in surprise. "Your command? With respect, you've got better things to do than sparklingsit a cadet."

"It would sit no better on my conscience than yours if he went into the field to do nothing more than die." Prowl gave the other mech a small smile. "And I have a weapon at my disposal that you do not."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. Smokescreen will root out the cause of Sunstreaker's issues in a meta-cycle or less."

"If you say so." The old mech stood. "I'll draw up his transfer documents and have them on your desk in a groon."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"What's that?" Sideswipe looked over his brother's shoulder at the data pad in his brother's hand. His optics went wide as he read. "A transfer to Commander Prowl's tactical unit? Primus either loves you or he really hates you."

"I think he hates me. I'm not good enough in tactics for this." The yellow twin dropped the pad on his berth and buried his face in his hands. "What do I do, Sides? If I go to tactics, washing out is going to be the least of my worries."

"Well, you've got to go. Orders, you know?" The red mech put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "Then I guess you either get better at hiding your infatuation or you tell him about it. The worst he can do is throw you back here with us, right? It's not against the regs to have a crush on your CO."

"Yeah." Sideswipe made it sound simple and painless, but Sunstreaker knew it would be anything but. "Nothing to it."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Enter," Prowl said almost immediately after Sunstreaker had pressed the chime. 

The yellow mech drew himself up, he hoped, confidently and opened the door. He did his best to ignore the spike of arousal that ran through him when he stepped into the office and saw the commander sitting behind his desk, doorwings held up proudly behind him. He refused to let his involuntary systems make a fool out of him during this meeting.

"Cadet Sunstreaker, reporting as ordered."

"Five joors early as well. A much better impression than your first, Cadet." Prowl gestured to the chair across from him. "Have a seat and we can get this transfer finished."

"I'd rather stand, sir," Sunstreaker said. 

"I know how cramped the transports can be, but it was not a suggestion. Once the final documents for your transfer have been signed and filed, you will be briefed on your new duties and your personnel file will need updating." The black and white mech gestured again. "Sit."

"Yes, sir." Sunstreaker sat, and hoped his new commanding officer hadn't noticed the spike in his internal temperature at the order. He was going to be in a _lot_ of trouble if Prowl really was as observant as the gossip chains suggested.

If he noticed, Prowl gave no sign. He slid a pair of data pads across the desk to Sunstreaker before handing him a stylus. "Verify the dates and times recorded in the files for your arrival and fill in the correct time and date for the beginning of this meeting and sign. Once I have validated them, the pad on the right is for your personal record. Do not lose it; I will need to update the files on it from time to time."

The yellow mech did as instructed, double checking everything before he signed the pads. Prowl took them wordlessly when Sunstreaker slid them back to him, notated each and gave the pad on the right back to him. He was curious about the other files the black and white mech had mentioned, but he resisted the urge to look; Prowl would tell him or he could find out once he was off duty.

"You may take notes on what is required of you while you are a part of this command," the commander said, indicating the data pad. "There is a program on the pad that will help you organize them and any others you take for maximum efficiency. There is also an automatically updating duty roster and a calendar where you may keep track of your personal activities during your off duty time. No member of Autobot command will be privy to your personal calendar, but any of us may change the duty roster or leave messages at any time. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Now, your duties in the tactical division will be more time consuming than those you would have had as a front line fighter, however they will be less physically demanding. As a result, you will be required to attend a training session before each duty shift to maintain peak physical performance..." Sunstreaker opened the data pad's note taker and began jotting down Prowl's words as the Praxian's voice washed over him.

He had hoped that this meeting would do something to kill his attraction to the commander. Instead, by the end of the briefing, he was pretty sure he would be able to overload on command if Prowl told him to do it.

He was doomed.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sunstreaker was buffing out the scratches his leg had acquired during training when the blue and yellow Praxian approached him. He tried to ignore the mech--he had to be on duty in a few joors--but the Praxian didn't take the hint.

"Can I help you?" The former artist asked without looking up from the damage.

"I'm Smokescreen," the other mech said. "I'm here to escort you to your new post and show you how things are done in tactical."

Sunstreaker looked up quickly. Smokescreen was Prowl's second, and he could make or break the yellow mech's career as easily as Prowl himself. "Sorry, sir! I didn't realize who you were!"

Smokescreen waved his hand down when the yellow mech started to salute. "At ease and go back to your repairs. Prowl isn't a vain mech, but he does value good appearances. We've still got some time."

"Yes, sir." The former artist hesitated before returning his attention to his finish. Smokescreen seemed more relaxed than Prowl, but that could just be a facade.

"And none of that "sir" stuff. It makes me feel old."

Sunstreaker glanced up at the Praxian and shook his head. Smokescreen couldn't even be as old as him. "Don't say that around Commander Ironhide. He'd have some pretty choice things to say about it."

"Probaby," Smokescreen agreed. "Ironhide is older than rust but not older than Kup, and he doesn't let you forget it."

"Kup?" The yellow mech switched legs and began buffing out more scratches.

"He's a unit commander out by Yuss. Stay in tactical long enough and you'll meet him." 

"Yuss? What's out there worth defending?"

"A whole lot of things classified way above your current clearance. You'll find out soon." The blue and yellow mech cocked his head to the side, listening to something Sunstreaker couldn't hear for a moment. "If you're finished, Prowl says he could use us a little early. Trailbreaker's on his way to medbay."

The former artist very carefully did not frown as he looked at the scratches--faint and unnoticable from a distance, but still present--and nodded. If Prowl wanted him in the tactical center now, then he would go now and worry about his finish later. "Yeah, we can go now."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"So, I know what's up with Sunstreaker," Smokescreen announced without waiting for the door to Prowl's office to lock behind him.

"And what is wrong with Sunstreaker?" The black and white mech didn't like phrasing it that way, but it was simpler to let his lieutenant phrase things poorly and give him the lectures that really mattered when they were necessary.

"He is massively attracted to you."

"What?"

"Oh yeah. He's got it bad." Smokescreen sat down in the guest chair while Prowl tried to process his statement. "He is thrusters over wings for you. Probably has been for a while."

"But he barely knows me!" Prowl's thoughts raced, trying to come up with any time he might have encouraged such an attraction. "Before he was transferred to this department, I had only spoken with him once."

"Hate to break it to you, boss, but that's all it takes sometimes."

"And I put him in a department where he would have to try to ignore my presence constantly."

"Would you believe that it seems to be helping?" Smokescreen asked. "He spends so much time pretending you're not there that he can't help but focus on work."

"I had noticed that there was less of the inattentiveness that had concerned Ironhide." Prowl's doorwings drooped and he slumped back in his chair. "What am I supposed to do, Smokescreen? If I send him to another department, it solves nothing and if I leave him here, I risk making everything worse."

"Can't help you there, boss. But if it helps you decide, I'm pretty sure he's a sub."

"I hardly think that helps. And what have I told you about meddling in my romantic affairs?"

"Prowl, you have to be having affairs for me to be able to meddle. This was just an observation." The younger Praxian stood and stretched. "Let me know what you decide to do. I'm heading off for a night of drinking and debauchery with that pretty blue racer from Ibix."

"I will update the duty roster accordingly."

Prowl turned away as his lieutenant let himself out of the office and stared out the window at the stars. He couldn't fathom why Sunstreaker would be harboring a secret attraction to him, and he had no idea how to handle it. Regulations did not forbid relationships between officers and enlisted mechs, except within the same direct chain of command, and the artist was an attractive mechanism. And if Smokescreen was right about his inclinations, they could have at least a few very nice nights together before the younger mech got over his infatuation.

He would have to send Sunstreaker to a different command, but it wasn't impossible. If this was even something he wanted to pursue.

Prowl pondered his options long after the end of his duty shift.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Hey, Sunstreaker, boss wants to see you."

Sunstreaker looked up with a frown from the stack of post battle analysis reports he was compiling. He hated being interrupted in the middle of a project. "Did he say why?"

"Nope." Smokescreen gave him a grin that said the blue and yellow mech knew something but wasn't going to tell. "He just said he wants to see you at your earliest convenience."

"Great." The yellow mech gestured the reports he was compiling. "Tell him I'll be in after this is done. Ultra Magnus needs us running a comprehensive analysis yesterday."

"His team should remember to compile their own post-battle reports if he wants us to bend time to analyze the whole chunk." Smokescreen shrugged. "He said at your convenience, so whenever you're ready for a break."

"Sure." Sunstreaker turned back to the reports. Smokescreen could be flip--he wasn't the rookie who was stuck compiling data so that the more experienced tacticians could run the comprehensive analysis--but Ultra Magnus did need them to look at all the data, since their tacticians had all been wiped out cycles ago.

The yellow mech let himself get lost in the reports, compiling the data and troop movements until the stack of pads was gone. It was actually kind of nice, keeping his processor almost completely occupied and not giving him any space to fret over what Prowl wanted.

The worry set in almost as soon as he realized the pads were gone. Sunstreaker had no idea what Prowl could need, but he didn't think he'd done anything to get himself into trouble.

"Trailbreaker, I have the data from Ultra Magnus' unit compiled and uploaded to the mainframe." He had to make an effort not to fidget as he passed the file name and a few notes to the black mech. "I've flagged some odd movements that you may want to take a close look at."

"Thank you, Sunstreaker." Trailbreaker smiled. "I appreciate you taking care of it so quickly. Maybe now we can finally figure out what is going on with the assaults originating at Darkmount."

"I hope so." They had lost more mechs in combat against troops from Darkmount than Sunstreaker cared to think about. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in Prowl's office. He wanted to see me earlier."

"I'll make sure Smokescreen knows," the black mech assured him. "Thanks again."

"Anytime," the yellow mech replied. Then he turned and wove through the assorted holo tables and desks that crowded into the tactics command post to get to Prowl's office door. Usually the black and white Praxian was out on the floor with them, but he had been in video conferences all day.

Sunstreaker hesitated before pressing the chime, not sure if he should interrupt or not. If he was in trouble, it was probably best to find out now rather than letting it sit until Prowl called him again.

"Enter." The single word command was spoken as quickly as usual, and with Prowl's customary lack of irritation. If Sunstreaker was interrupting, his commander wasn't letting on.

He opened the door and stepped inside. "Smokescreen said you wanted to see me?"

"I did." Prowl looked up from the data pad in front of him and gestured the yellow mech forward. "Close the door and have a seat."

Sunstreaker did as instructed, fighting the urge to slump in the chair once he was seated. Compiling those reports had been more tiring than he thought. 

"You look tired," the black and white mech observed. "Are you resting well?"

This was what he wanted to talk about? Sunstreaker's worry turned to confusion. "I'm resting fine, sir. A lot better than in the soldiers' barracks. I just finished the data compilation for all of Ultra Magnus' post battle reports, that's all it is."

"Good. I want you to be able to think clearly about what we're about to discuss." The Autobot second in command signed the data pad in front of him and slid it to the side. Sunstreaker squirmed as all the Praxian's attention focused on him. "I have heard a rumor, Sunstreaker, and I want you to respond to it truthfully."

"Okay." He squirmed again, but it had less to do with Prowl and a lot more to do with the sudden dread that pooled in his tanks. 

"I have heard that you find me attractive. Is this the case, Sunstreaker?"

"I..." The yellow mech hadn't expected to be asked so bluntly. "Yes."

"Is that why you were so distracted during your training?" Prowl leaned back in his chair, wings spreading behind him slightly.

Sunstreaker watched them, trying to stare without looking like he was staring. "Yes, sir. I was always thinking about you. About what I wanted you to do to me."

His optics went wide and he looked at the floor as he realized what he'd said. 

"And if I wanted to do those things to you, Sunstreaker? Would you want that or do you only want the fantasy?"

Sunstreaker clenched his hands into fists, trying to distract himself from how badly he wanted Prowl's words to be a genuine offer. He knew from long experience that it wouldn't be what he needed, even if it was sincere. "You don't want to do what I want."

"I have heard that you are submissive. I believe I can give you exactly what you need, if that is true." Prowl stood and walked around his desk. He placed a finger under the yellow mech's chin and tipped it up. "Is my source correct?"

If he hadn't been the sole focus of Prowl's attention and surrounded by his sheer _presence_ , Sunstreaker would have been ready to hunt down this rumor-spreading source--probably his loudmouth brother--and beat him into scrap. "Yes. But I don't just want to play. I don't want one night and then never again. I want--"

"A long term arrangement." Prowl's tone was soothing, but it didn't lose any of its confidence or authority. "I cannot promise a specific length. We may find out that we aren't compatible after a meta-cycle. But I want more than just a one night stand as well."

"I want to try," the former artist said. "I want to try if you do, please. I'm so tired of being alone."

"Then we will try." Prowl gave him a smile that Sunstreaker couldn't help returning.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"I can't believe you're back here already," Sideswipe said as he helped Sunstreaker stow his gear in the locker at the foot of his old berth in the soldiers' barracks. "Who'd you frag off to get thrown out of tactics?"

"I didn't get thrown out," the yellow twin replied with a grin. "I requested the transfer back."

The red twin blinked in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Because Primus _loves_ me." Sunstreaker looked over his shoulder at the black and white mech leaning against the door frame and smiled.

Prowl returned the smile and held a hand out to the yellow mech. "I advise against waiting up. Sunstreaker and I have a great deal of negotiating to do tonight."

Sideswipe looked from his brother to the commander and back. "Frag me. You actually did it. You actually hooked up with him."

"Like I said. Primus loves me." Sunstreaker closed his locker and punched in his security code. "Seriously, don't wait up. I'll see you for morning rations."

The red mech watched, optics still wide with shock, as his brother crossed the room and put his hand in the Praxian's.

"Good night, Sideswipe," Prowl said as he led the yellow mech out the door.

"Night," Sideswipe replied. Once they were gone, he sank down onto his brother's locker. "Frag me. Didn't see that coming at all."


End file.
